Emerging challenges of ozone impacts on Asian plants: Actions are needed to protect ecosystem health

• Main Authors: Zhaozhong Feng, Evgenios Agathokleous, Xu Yue, Elina Oksanen, Elena Paoletti, Hiroyuki Sase, Anthony Gandin, Takayoshi Koike, Vicent Calatayud, Xiangyang Yuan, Xuejun Liu, Alessandra De Marco, Yves Jolivet, Sari Kontunen-Soppela, Yasutomo Hoshika, Hikaru Saji, Pin Li, Zhengzhen Li, Makoto Watanabe, Kazuhiko Kobayashi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2021-04-01
• Series: Ecosystem Health and Sustainability
• Subjects: asia; air pollution monitoring; ecosystem health; environmental regulation; ozone impact mitigation; vegetation
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20964129.2021.1911602

Ozone concentrations near the land surface are rising in Asia while they are declining or stagnating in Europe and North America. Ozone is the most widespread air pollutant negatively affecting vegetation, and its increased concentrations pose a major threat to food quality and production and other ecosystem services in Asia. In this review, we provide an overview of scientific challenges in the impacts of ozone pollution on Asian vegetation, and synthesize the challenges toward mitigation of the impacts. We argue that new policy initiatives need to seek both reduction of ozone levels and enhancement of plant tolerance to ozone to maintain food quality and ensure food supplies. The scientific advancements must be transferred to actions by two types of institutions: a) environmental agencies for reducing ozone levels and b) agricultural research institutions for enhancing plant tolerance to ozone. In connecting the scientific advancements with the institutional actions, scientists in Asian countries should play the key role taking advantages of interdisciplinary and international collaborations.